Into the Unknown
by Greybc
Summary: 7 months after the plane crash that plagued the existence of Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, everyone is still grieving over the loss of a fellow surgeon, who disappeared during the crash along with the back of the plane. When the shock arrival of someone from their past occurs, how will they react? What exactly happened to Lexie Grey, and why can't she remember anything?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! I'll try and keep this part short and sweet.**

 **Important detail: Mark survived the crash.**

 **Rated T for coarse language (not much at all though)**

 **I want to acknowledge that I own NOTHING from Grey's Anatomy, all rights go to Shonda Rhimes, ABC, etc. Secondly, sorry if there is any inaccurate medical info/grey's logistics – I am more focused on the storyline but I'll try my best anyway. Finally, I know I've tweaked the crash story (a lot) but it's for the purpose of this fic so I hope that you guys understand!**

 **In case of spoilers – I wouldn't be worried at all, however if you are** _ **really**_ **concerned then watch up to season 8 and probably a little of season 9.**

 **Thanks so much for reading –reviews would be greatly appreciated as motivation. I am definitely all ears for any feedback or suggestions! Happy reading!**

 **Also, any suggestions for another story? Let me know.**

 **\- Greybc**

* * *

 _Meredith's perspective_

Meredith Grey was lying in bed with her eyes wide open. She was staring at the fan on her and Derek's bedroom ceiling whilst listening to the constant hum as the blades turned; whipping up cool air that blew onto her tear-adorned face. Three simple words were being repeated over and over in her head…

Lexie was gone.

One minute she was there and the next she wasn't. She was gone. She was gone and they still didn't know where she was.

 **7 Months earlier**

Meredith opened her eyes to a blur of blue, white and green. Everything was fuzzy. She heard screaming and felt a sharp pain in her leg. Everything was going in slow motion, but all she could focus on was Derek. Derek. Derek. She needed to find him.

And Suddenly, she was jerked into some sort of time-warping black hole and everything sped up. 1 hour felt like 30 seconds. She found Cristina. Mark. Arizona. Jerry. Derek. And then when they started rejoicing because Cristina had cell phone service, they finally realised. Lexie was missing. Time slowed down again.

How could they all be so stupid? Everyone was hungry, dehydrated, exhausted, hurt and too focused on being rescued to even think about their fellow surgeon, friend and sister. Or at least that's what Meredith told herself. They started searching and found nothing. Then Mark collapsed and they needed to get back to Seattle... without Lexie.

 **Present time**

The back of the plane was found miles away from where the rest of them had crashed, and even after a huge search squad was sent to find Lexie (who was in the back of the plane) they found nothing. After 4 months they decided she couldn't possibly be alive, and stopped searching. Her funeral service was held with a coffin but no Lexie. Meredith thought it would help to provide closure - but more than anything she just wanted to move on. Get rid of all the dark and twisty crap that she's been through and move the hell on. But she still can't. Because her sister; the girl she loved so much without truly expressing it; the girl she forgot about during the crash and is still guilty to this day for it; the girl that changed her life - is missing. Not dead or alive but in between. And it was slowly eating up Meredith's heart…

Lexie was so good with Zola. Zola mentions her sometimes - and Meredith's eyes sadden instantly every time. Nevertheless, she puts on a smile and tells Zola that Aunt Lexie is far away on a holiday on a tropical island, but that she misses her niece so much and can't wait to see her again. Meredith cringes every time inside she tells that story... Not because it's a lie, not because she's getting her daughter's hopes up, but because if Lexie really was alive then she would have come back by now. And if not, it was because she hated them all. Either way, she was gone and wasn't ever coming back.

Meredith misses the way Lexie used to laugh, her eyes twinkling and her soft smile lighting up the room, instantly cheering anyone in her presence up. She misses her innocence, never failing to amuse Meredith and especially Cristina. She misses how intrigued Lexie was by neurosurgery and the potential she showed, making Derek that much prouder on a daily basis. She misses how her sister smelled like warm cupcakes fresh out of the oven. Mostly, she misses how Lexie would always be there for Meredith no matter what. Always. And Meredith never really appreciated it until now. And she'll never forgive herself for that. Mark narrowly survived the crash but Meredith could tell that his eyes lost their cheeky sparkle and he always slumped, looking sad. He was just as bad, if not worse than Meredith emotionally. She could tell he missed Lexie just as much as she.

Yet here she was, 7 months after the crash, still feeling the stabbing sensation in her stomach that she felt when she first realised Lexie was missing. Meredith was surprised she could cry at all because she didn't think there would be any tears left to shed. She was supposed to be strong - that's what she keeps telling herself. She's been through enough crap in her life, why can't she get through this like she has with everything else? Her mom trying to commit suicide in front of her 5 year old self and then getting Alzheimer's and dying, herself almost drowning, George dying, Izzie leaving…

Then she reminds herself to hide her emotions away because fucking Dr. Wyatt will make her stop doing what she loves most (apart from Derek, of course) - surgery. At this point, surgery is what makes her most calm. Sometimes, she can almost put everything, including Lexie aside and just focus on saving lives.

Almost.

Suddenly, her alarm rings and Derek begins to stir. She jolts up and turns her back to Derek so that he won't be able to see the tears that she is quickly wiping away, and how blotchy her face currently is. Derek pulls her into a hug and plants a soft kiss on her head, making Meredith smile. Thank god she still had Derek. Thank god.

"Today's going to be a good day, Mer." He whispers into her ear.

"And how would you know that?" She chuckles.

"I...I just have a feeling."

Meredith just smiles, and a glimmer of hope sparks inside of her. Maybe, just maybe, it will be a good day.

* * *

Meredith arrives at work, ready and raring for the day ahead. 'It's a good day to save lives' she chants to herself, a distraction from the emotional trauma buried deep inside of her. She slips on her scrubs and is greeted by Bailey. _You can do this, Meredith._

* * *

Meredith came home to see Derek laying in bed with his head being propped up by is palm and using the other hand to read a book (something to do with brains, probably). God, he looked sexy. He looked up and gave her a classic 'McDreamy' smile which made her even more happy than she had already felt. Today at work, she helped to deliver a difficult transplant of a kidney _and_ a pancreas for one 10 year old girl, and succeeded. One of her most difficult surgeries yet, as they discovered worms in the oesophagus which explained her breathing issues, and had to get rid of those at the same time. She felt like she played a key role in that OR today.

"You were right, Derek."

"About what? That argument we had about the toaster last night? Because if so I TOLD you that if you kept using the fork to get the toast out-"

"No Derek! Not the stupid toast!" Meredith laughed. "About what you said this morning." Meredith joined him on the bed. "It was a great day. No, it was a FANTASTIC day. Wanna know why?"

Derek nodded, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Because I think I've finally moved on. I'm happy and I can't remember being really and truly happy since before the crash. And today I saved a little girl's life and I'm happy. Lex would be proud... Don't you think?" Meredith asked with a confident smile.

"She would. She definitely would. And you know what would make this day even better?"

"What?" She smirked, knowing what was coming next. Derek kissed her and Meredith fell into is embrace, knowing that she was lucky to be alive, and mostly lucky to have him with her.

 **The Next Morning**

Meredith awoke for the first time in what felt like forever without tears staining her cheeks and bags under her eyes. She shifted, expecting to see Derek on the other side of the bed, but he was gone. A tiny twinge of panic hit her until she found a note on her bedside table reading: 'Got paged 911 at work. Don't stick a fork in the toaster this time. Love you Mer, see you soon.' Meredith laughed at his comic comment, went down to eat breakfast and then rushed to work as the sun started to rise. She had a feeling that today was going to be another great day.

* * *

 **Okay so I know that this was pretty cheesy and I'm not sure if I captured Meredith well, but a lot of this was inspired by how I felt when I lost my best friend, and I thought that an honest and real description would be a good one.**

 **I also know that there was no Lexie in this chapter... I'm just building a lead up to her grand entrance! Bear with me guys! I promise she will arrive soon. Let me know what you think of this one... You can probably see where it's going though :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning: mentions of abuse!**

* * *

 _Unknown Perspective_

She had to get out. She knew that now. She didn't know a lot of things but she was sure of this. Maybe it was human instinct; maybe it had something to do with her previous life… she didn't know. But she did know that getting beaten every night with various forms of weapons was _not_ normal. Nor was being kept in a small room with no windows, a mattress that could hardly be called a bed, a toilet, a sink and 3 measly stacks of books (that she had memorised anyway). She had no perception of time. She did not know what was beyond the hard metal door that she was locked behind – only that beyond it was an evil man who looked in his mid-50s. All she remembers is opening her eyes and finding herself in this room. Pretty much her whole left side always hurt since she first woke up. Her shoulder was dislocated (she had popped it back in) and she was pretty sure her arm was broken but she had gotten used to the pain.

He was coming soon. She had been counting every single second for the past 24 hours, using ripped out pieces of paper (that she had prepared a while ago) from the books to tally the minutes by dropping them on the floor in an array, then once it reached one hour she would replace the 60 little pieces of paper with one big strip. She counted her seconds by saying 'Mississippi' between each one. So far it seemed to be quite accurate. There were 23 strips and 32 pieces of paper, that she had counted since she left. That meant roughly 28 minutes til he arrived again. However, 28 minutes wasn't necessarily accurate. He could be here in 10 seconds, maybe even 2 hours. All she knew was that it got cold when he arrived and right now it was cold.

Her plan was to use the toilet cover to whack him on the head when she came in. She spent what felt like forever unscrewing the goddamn piece of wood with only her right arm. It was the heaviest thing in the room that she could use. Somehow, she doesn't even remember her own name yet she knows that she needs to hit him on the top of the head if she could. She knows that the top of the head is the last area of the skull to form after one is born and thus the weakest in terms of structure. A heavy blow to any region in this area can start an internal chain reaction of bleeding that can pressurize the brain and cause concussion or death. So, that's where she'd hit him.

She'd hide on the right side of the door because when he'd open it, it would swing out to the right so that she could hide behind it. She knew that there was only 1 door because when the metal doors closed, they made a screeching noise against the cement floor and closed with a loud noise – so if there was another locked door she would have heard it for the 20 times she had put her ear against the door just as he closed it. Then, when he was facing away from her and unable to use the weapon, she'd quickly lunge it at him. She'd muster up all of her energy and keep hitting him until he was out cold. Sometimes, she thought that she could hear faint noises that resembled steps, so she must be in a basement somewhere – which would explain the 'no windows' thing and also matches up with one of the stories in the crime novels she had read, which was apparently a true story so it made sense. And right now, sense (and a little bid of madness) was all that she could rely on. Then she'd close the door behind her and run. Where? She had no freaking idea. She was going to run and that's all she knew. She had been jogging to maintain her fitness on the days where she wasn't too badly injured. She had thought about this for who knows how long now. And now time was ticking away.

 _58 Mississippi._

 _59 Mississippi._

 _60 Mississippi._

Another piece of paper bites the dust.

That's enough, she thought. Now she had to get ready. She silently picked up the wooden object and advanced towards the door. In her pocket was a granola bar that she had saved from her daily rations. And if she had time she'd pick up the water bottle that was on the sink on her way out. Her heart was beating faster and faster, which wasn't new to her – she felt like this every time that door opened, wondering whether he'd have the bat this time, or maybe even the knife or handcuffs; which he seemed to save for special occasions. She had always fought back. But after a while she waited and waited and time felt like it had slowed down so that a second felt like an hour.

And then it happened. Something clicked and the door began to screech open. Suddenly she found herself raising her arms, developing power as she slammed the piece of wood right on top of his head. He stumbled but didn't get knocked out like she thought he would. Uh oh…

"YOU BITCH! You're gonna pay for this…" He shouted with complete and utter rage (and drunkenness she suspected too) as he pulled out the bat. _Shit..._ She was hoping he'd just be using his bare hands and legs today. As he swung the bat at her side she ducked, survival mode kicking in. His momentum caused him to trip and she knew that that was her chance. She kicked his shin as he went down, causing him to fall face first. _'Ha,'_ she thought. ' _Have a taste of your own medicine.'_ She then glanced upwards and saw a blinding light, but as her eyes adjusted she saw stairs. She turned back and considered grabbing the water as he was beginning to stand up, his intoxicated state slowing him down.

 _RUN!_ A voice inside her mind screamed at her. Shockingly enough, it wasn't her own….

Putting that strange surprise aside, she listened. She closed the door behind her, hearing the lock click. This was it.

She zipped through the house and opened the door, only to find a whole lot of trees. She smelled the fresh air and smiled to herself. So, this is what it feels like to be free. To be able to go wherever you want, whenever you want to. She suddenly remembered that he could exit the room because he knew the 33-number-long code (he made her face the wall whenever he left and usually she was in far too much pain to even try to take a glimpse of what it was – one time he found her list of possible codes and gave her the worst beating she could think of, from then on he inspected the room before he placed her daily rations next to the sink and left). That meant he'd probably be up the stairs by then. She ran and ran, knowing not to yell for help until she knew that she had lost him. It was dark, which meant it would be harder for him to see her but also harder for her to get to safety. Nevertheless, she ran until everything went black.

 **So, there's the second chapter! I know it was really creepy and weird but it is currently 3am and my brain is on overdrive! Don't ask me how I came up with any of that (actually, some of you might recognise that the escape plan was sort of inspired by the movie** _ **Room**_ **) because I don't really know.**

 **So, who is the unknown female escapee? (haha I know it's obvious but anyways) Again, reviews are really appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

_Jo's perspective_ _  
_  
Jo Wilson prepared herself for yet another exhausting case. She had been here for about 6 months now but every single day was as tiring as the first - all the drama at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital piled on top of her work as a surgeon was quite overwhelming for an intern. Today, Jo had been placed on Dr. Kepner's service. She was on the helipad with Dr. Kepner and Dr. Hunt waiting for a trauma - and it didn't take an idiot to know that these kinds of cases were always serious.

"Wilson! Don't just stand there!" Hunt snapped as the paramedic rolled the gurney out of the helicopter and towards them. Jo was shocked at what she saw.

"Jane Doe, looks to be in her late 20s. Found unconscious by a hiker in the forest. Obvious blunt force trauma to... Well, pretty much everywhere, but especially the head and abdominal area. We've bandaged her head to contain the bleeding. Looks like abuse. Hypothermic, dehydrated and suffering from exhaustion. Possible internal injuries and likelihood of brain damage. Some of her injuries look like they were gained from a fall from quite a high height." The paramedic shouted over the noise of the chopper as they ran the poor girl in to the hospital.

"Wilson, page Dr. Grey for me please." Dr. Kepner requested as Jo obeyed. Obviously this girl needed a general surgeon to sort out her abdominal issues.

Jo trailed behind the gurney as Owen, Kepner and the paramedic pushed it through the walls of the hospital as Dr. Hunt performed an exam; urgent to get an instant scan to determine her internal state. Dr. Grey arrived just as the girl regained consciousness. The girl started taking huge gasping breaths as she took in her surroundings, constantly muttering under her breath; "I don't remember anything… I don't remember anything except the room and the man…" Which freaked Jo out. Dr. Grey piped in; "Just calm down, ma'am. We're going to try and fix you up, but you'll have to stay still. This won't hurt." Strangely, the girl stopped and her eyes travelled towards Meredith's face. The unkown female stopped moving and just stared with a very confused facial expression…

* * *

 _Unknown perspective_

She knew that voice. It was the voice of a female. Calming yet firm, strong and wise. She knew that voice even though she had never seen this doctor before. Suddenly she realised that the voice was the voice who told her to run, back when she was escaping. _How do I know this girl?_ She thought as she felt her body start moving under a big machine.

* * *

 _Jo's perspective_

As Dr. Grey sent the victim in for a scan, Jo decided to suggest something. "Dr. Grey, she kept saying that she didn't remember anything… well, except for a room and a man. Could that suggest signs of extreme retrograde amnesia?

"Excellent work Dr. Wilson. It is possible, but until we see these scans we won't know for sure." Dr. Grey replied professionally as she exited the room, followed by a secretly proud Jo. They joined Dr. Kepner, Dr. Hunt, Dr. Shepherd and Dr. Torres next door as they watched the girl through the window. Jo had never seen anything like this before.

* * *

 _Meredith's perspective_

This wasn't right. Something about that girl's voice sounded familiar. She couldn't see her face due to the bandage, swelling, blood and cuts, but she definitely knew that voice… but she couldn't quite put her finger on who's voice it belonged to. It was bugging her. Callie, who began to put up the scans, interrupted her state of deep thought. There was a lot of damage. "Several compound fractures along the left arm and comminuted fracture in the left leg; rib fractures, pelvic fractures obviously caused by abuse and several other minor fractures along the body." Callie quietly commented as the room went silent – these injuries were really, _really_ bad. Obviously she had been beaten and, like the paramedic said, taken a big fall. Derek piped up by saying "A temporal bone fracture as well. Serious damage to the temporal lobe; likely to result in extreme retrograde amnesia. Aneurysm in her celiac artery; we'll need to put a graft in as soon as possible. Wilson, can you book an OR stat?" he requested of the intern, softly but urgently. Meredith knew that Derek couldn't stand cases like these. She loved that he always stood by his morals and put his heart and soul into saving defenceless victims like this girl. "Done." Wilson informed the group, but by then they were already prepping to take the girl into surgery.

They had arrived at the OR and scrubbed in. As they wheeled the girl into the room, April asked her a few questions.

"Ma'am, I'm Dr. Kepner. We are about to take you into surgery because you've sustained a few serious injuries that we are going to fix for you. Now, can you tell me your name?"

"I- No, I'm sorry, I don't remember." Tears welled up in the girl's eyes as the surgeons exchanged concerned glances.

"That's okay. Now, is there anything that you _can_ remember?"

"I woke up and I- I was in a room and e-everything hurt… A basement, I think. There were no w-windows and when I escaped I w-went up stairs." She panted, clearly frightened and exhausted. "He-He entered the room everyday and hit me. Sometimes w-with his bare arms and legs, s-sometimes he used a b-bat and a knife, one t-time he used handcuffs to tie me to the s-sink while he k-kicked me. All I remember is waking up in the room and him hurting me and then I escaped and I was in a forest and I was running and it went black and-"

"Thank you ma'am, you can stop now – it'll all be ok, you're safe now. We are going to do everything we can to fix you up. I'll just take this bandage off-" April gently explained as she slowly unwrapped the bandage. Meredith was facing away from the patient, prepping the operating tools as everything went silent and still. She turned around and saw that everyone's jaws had dropped, wide-eyed in disbelief. Meredith was confused.

"What's wrong?" Meredith asked as her eyes travelled to the spot that all of the surgeons were looking at. What she saw made her feel faint. No. This could NOT be happening. She was dreaming. _Wake up, Meredith. This isn't real._


	4. Chapter 4

**So I know this is a short chapter but don't worry, I will update soon. Let me know how it's going so far!**

* * *

 _Meredith's perspective_

"I-I-Is…. Is th-that L-Lexie? As in Lexie Grey? As in MY SISTER?" Meredith breathed, knowing the answers to her questions. She needed to hear it to believe it.

Owen spoke up. "Meredith, I want you out of this OR. If… If this really is Lexie, she is your family and you are not permitted to operate on family."

Meredith stood there in shock. Her sister was really here. She didn't know whether to feel delighted that she was alive, or sick because of what had happened to her.

"MEREDITH GREY, GET OUT OF THIS OR RIGHT NOW." Dr. Hunt demanded firmly, the tension in the room rising. She knew he probably didn't want anyone to get their hopes up but secretly he was just as shocked and worried as the rest of them. Meredith stayed put and Derek showed obvious sympathy while trying to hide his shock. He was about to tell Meredith to leave himself until Callie piped in.

"Wilson, take Dr. Grey out of the room immediately." Torres demanded. "And page Dr. Bailey. But whatever you do, do NOT let Mark Sloan anywhere _near_ this OR. Do you hear me?" Jo nodded with utter confusion, slight disbelief, and a hint of curiosity as to what was going on.

"Come on Dr. Grey. I don't know what's going on right now, but it's best for the patient if we both exit the OR." Jo whispered calmly as Meredith felt tears gathering in her eyes. Meredith nodded and Jo led her out of the room.

The minute the door closed behind them, Meredith burst into tears and felt herself sliding down to the floor as the intern awkwardly watched. Guarding the door and paging her friend Dr. Edwards, Wilson asked Edwards to monitor Sloan's whereabouts and to not let him get anywhere near OR 2.

Meredith hadn't felt this relieved since Cristina saved Derek in the shooting. Her sister was _back._ She felt Wilson's eyes warily watching her wail, but she didn't care. Lexie was here. Lexie was _alive._

Meredith then reminded herself two things.

Lexie was alive but she was currently in surgery because of some sick bastard that beat her.

Lexie did not remember her.

And that second thing made her feel that stabbing sensation. The stabbing sensation she felt when Lexie went missing in the first place; the stabbing sensation she felt every night that she grieved for her dead mother, George and a missing Izzie. But this time, the stabbing sensation wasn't going to her stomach. It was aimed straight at her heart.

She could only hope that Lexie would survive this surgery, because Meredith was on a mission.

And that mission was to get Lexie Grey's memory back.


	5. Chapter 5

**Also guys, I forgot to mention that for the purpose of this fic the name of the hospital hasn't been changed. Thanks for reviewing!**

* * *

 _Alex's perspective_

As far as Alex could tell, it was just another ordinary day at what he called 'Seattle Grace Mercy Death'. Suddenly he was paged by Jo as he finished charting a peds case.

"Robbins, I've been paged to OR 2, would it be ok if-"

"Sure, go ahead Karev." Arizona nodded. Her mind was focused on finding out what was wrong with a 12 year old boy who constantly threw up and blacked out, and Karev wasn't needed on the case.

Alex walked at a quick pace to the OR. He loved his job, but sometimes getting to go to a room that didn't have monkeys and bubbles painted all over it was a bit of a refresher. As he walked down the hall he saw a confused Jo sitting outside the room and Meredith curled up in a ball, laying against the wall, head in her hands. _Oh God. Not another freaking funeral._

"What the hell happened? Mer, are you okay?" Alex blurted out. He and Meredith had gotten a lot closer over the past few months and was surprised to see that Cristina wasn't there with her. _Wait,_ he remembered. _Cristina's in, like, Minnesota or something._ Jo pulled him aside before he could see what was wrong with Meredith. Jo and Alex were good friends, but he had no clue why she needed him right now.

"Okay. When I ask you this you might freak out because so far whenever anyone says her name people go all weird. But, _for the love of God,_ please answer me because right now I am so, so, SO confused."

Alex nodded with slight wariness, trying to figure out what was going wrong.

"Do you know who Lexie Grey is? Because apparently that's her in there and she can't remember anything. Do you know her too? Why is everyone freaking out about her being here?!"

Alex stared at her, dumbfounded. "You're kidding, aren't you."

"Alex Karev! Do I look like I'm freaking kidding?!"

Alex took a moment to clear his head. Woah, this was just weird. He didn't really know what to say. He couldn't feel any emotions. No anger, no relief, no happiness, no sadness, no nothing.

"Well, she's… Lexie Grey is Meredith's half-sister, they both have the same dad; Thatcher Grey. Who is a jerk. Anyways, Lexie started as an intern here around 5 years ago. She told Meredith they were half-sisters and basically everyone hated her at first because she was annoying and super happy all the time but eventually everyone warmed up to her and she became really close with Mer, I think." Alex decided to leave out the part where he and Lexie were involved. "She was one of the surgeons on the plane… I'm sure you've heard about that by now?" Jo looked at him quizzically.

"Okay, well, I guess not. Basically, Robbins, Yang, Sloan, Shepherd, Meredith and Lexie boarded a plane to perform a surgery on some conjoined twins in Boise. Something went wrong and the plane crashed. Lexie was in the back of the plane, which came off and went missing. Don't ask me how a whole half of a plane can go missing because I don't know. She's been missing for the past 7 months and everyone just assumed she was dead so we had a funeral and everything. So I think you should understand everyone's reaction to this because Lexie Grey… she meant a lot to everyone here. Did you say she can't remember anything? I better check-"

"One more question. Why do I have to keep Dr. Sloan away from her? Dr. Torres told me so."

Alex cleared his throat. This was complicated. "Well, Mark and Lexie had a… thing. Mark loved her, like a _lot._ And he still hasn't gotten over her. If he knew about this… who knows how crazy he'd get. That guy's weird. So, I'd agree with Torres on that one." Alex concluded. What the hell was going on?

He took one look in that trauma room and suddenly the emotions hit. That was Lexie Grey, the girl that a lot of his friends really cared about, which meant that he cared about her too. Lexie's childhood was full of rainbows and sunshine and flowers. That amount of trauma was NOT supposed to happen to children who grew up with rainbows and sunshine and flowers.

Suddenly, Kepner came out of the room.

Alex, Jo and Meredith all looked up expectantly, waiting to hear a response.

"Why is he here?" Kepner questioned Jo.

"Well, no one was telling me what was going on, so I had to know!"

"Alright fine."

"How is she?" Meredith spoke up. "It's definitely her, right?"

"She's doing well. Well, for her state at least…"

"April…" Alex warned, directing his gaze at Meredith and back to April so that April wouldn't say anything that'd cause Meredith to break down. That couldn't happen to Meredith anymore. No way.

"And yes, it's definitely her. We checked the birthmark on her lower thigh. Anyway, Dr. Hunt has told me to inform you that no one else can know about this surgery… not yet. We need to call the police first, which is what I'm about to do. Callie's doing well on the fractures, but Lexie's going to need a lot of physical therapy. The aneurysm has been sorted out but the damage to the temporal lobe… well, Derek's working on it right now. He's trying, but there's not a lot he can do. Bailey, Hunt and I have been working on everything else and… things are looking good. She will most likely come out of this alive… we'll just have to wait and see."

Alex thanked April as she headed to call the police, who would question Lexie if, no, _when_ she woke up. Maybe, after that, they'd all have some answers as to why Lexie Grey had suddenly turned up to the hospital alive after 7 months in the middle of nowehere.

 _Why does all the crazy stuff have to happen to us?!_ He asked to no one in particular as he looked around at his fellow surgeons. They were in for a hell of a ride. Deep down, Alex cared about Lexie's wellbeing. He hoped that she would pull through. But her memory thing… that didn't sound too good. And one thing that Alex knew was that you should _never_ keep your hopes up.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you guys so much for the reviews, follows and favorites! I currently have an idea for where this is going but let me know if you guys want to see anything in particular because I'd be more than happy to integrate it into the story! Finally, we have Mark's perspective…**

* * *

 _Mark's Perspective_

Mark Sloan woke up that morning the same way that he had been for the past 7 months: crying.

He hated to admit it. Mark Sloan is supposed to be burly; strong; handsome - you name it. But deep down, he knew that he wasn't that. Deep down, he was broken. And the only way that he could hide it was to act like a jerk.

Of course, that didn't really work. Every now and then he saw something that reminded him of Lexie and had the occasional breakdown. For the first month he drank. A lot. Attempting to drown himself into a world that didn't exist... a world where Lexie Grey was still with him. Derek had saved Mark, reminding him that Lexie wouldn't have wanted Mark to do this. And Mark instantly stopped because he couldn't let Lexie down yet again. He had done that far too many times already.

Mark couldn't get over it. He had stuffed it up too many times. So, so, _so_ many times. It was always his fault. If only he had made it work the first time. If only he listened to her more, kissed her more and loved her more.

If only.

He had taken Lexie for granted. And he never got to say sorry.

Now, there is a hole in his heart. It slowly starts to mend, until he remembers that Lexie is still missing. Then suddenly his heart bursts open again, and it gets more and more painful every single damn time.

Hiding his pain was like trying not to scream when someone stabs you. Yet, ever since he had stopped drinking, he just pretended like the whole incident had never happened.

It was hard because everyone else was different. Derek, his best friend, was quiet for a long time. For the first few weeks after his hand had recovered, he accidentally called Lexie into neuro sometimes as if he had forgotten that she was gone. Mark also knew that it broke Derek's heart to see Meredith sad. Meredith wasn't taking it well either. Just when it looked like she was truly overcoming her dark and twisty side, her baby sister; little grey, disappeared. Cristina was so overwhelmed by all of the death that she left the hospital entirely.

Mark had _never_ loved anyone as much as he had loved Lexie. Not Addison, not Julia, not Callie - it was basically just for the sex. He had never known what it was like to love someone so much that you would die if it meant that they could live. And when he finally realised he did, it was all taken away from him.

* * *

 **Flashback**

Mark woke up to the sound of a beeping heart monitor and the mumbling of some people in the room. He opened his eyes and recognised the hospital. He jolted up despite the pain in his chest and he saw Derek Shepherd and Callie Torres turn towards him with delight in their faces.

"Oh my god, Mark! How could you scare us like that?! You made me think about Sofia not having a father! Thank the lord..." Callie exclaimed.

"Welcome back, buddy." Derek said with a huge grin on his face. Mark noticed that they both had tears in their eyes.

"And to think, if we had lost you as well..." Callie muttered but then stopped herself, looking at Mark worriedly.

Wait a second. "What? What do you mean, _lost me as well_? What does _as well_ mean?"

Callie and Derek exchanged slightly afraid glances. They said nothing. Mark racked his brain for who was on the plane. Meredith and Arizona obviously weren't the problem because otherwise Derek or Callie would be breaking down. That left Cristina and... Oh god. Oh god.

He remembered. Just after they realised that Lexie was missing, everything went back. "No. NO. Did you find her?"

No answer.

This could _not_ be happening. _Please_ , let it not be happening.

"I didn't even get to tell her that I loved her..." Mark barely whispered as he broke down into tears.

* * *

 **Present time**

Lexie Grey was a forbidden subject at the hospital. No one talked about her. No one at all. All they did was stare.

God, he hated the staring with a passion. It was like they were _trying_ to remind him of the pain he felt.

In a heartbeat, Mark wafted back to reality. _Dammit_ , he thought. _I have to be at the hospital in the 10 minutes_. He got changed and rushed out the door, not feeling ready to face another day without the one person he loved most in this world.

Mark arrived at the hospital and everything was like usual. He was completing a skin transplant on the arm of a 50 year old guy in a few minutes at OR 2 so he headed that way. As he stepped out of the elevator, he noticed Edwards and Ross whispering to each other.

"What are you two doing? Don't just stand there, get to work."

Dr. Edwards looked at him nervously and replied, "Uh, Dr. Sloan! I, ummm… I-I was wondering if m-maybe you could help me out with my... Umm my..."

"Charts!" Ross finished with a hopeful smile. The two interns have each other a look and then smiled back at him.

"Well, I can't do that because I am needed at OR 2 for a skin transplant."

"NO! Uh, I mean – no. OR 2 is… occupied right now. You can't go there, it's…. confidential. You'll have to reschedule your surgey" Edwards stammered. Mark noticed a nervous look in her brown eyes.

"What do you mean? First of all, you're an intern. Don't tell me what to do otherwise I'll have your ass doing rectal exams for a month. Secondly, nothing is confidential at this hospital unless the police rule it, and I don't see any cops. Get out of my way, otherwise I'll be late!" Mark explained impatiently. He didn't have time for this.

"But you can't! You're not allowed to! Jo said that Dr. Torres said…"

"Said what?" Mark asked suspiciously – now he was intrigued. What could Callie be hiding from him?

"Well, um, you see, I don't actually _know_ , but-"

"Then get the hell out of my way!" Mark said and started running towards the OR. He heard a panicked Dr. Ross yell after him, as Dr. Edwards paged Wilson.

* * *

Mark finally reached the OR and was greeted by a panicked Jo Wilson and Alex Karev, as well as a quiet Meredith staring at the floor. The blinds to the room were shut and it was dead quiet.

"I have a surgery to get to right now, so I don't know what Torres told you but I need to be in there."

"Just leave, Sloan. I'm sure you can relocate whatever surgery you have. This is none of your business so you need to leave. Right. _Now."_ Alex irritably demanded.

"Not until I know what's going on in there." Mark replied sassily as he opened the door to the OR, pushing the intern out of the way.

"STOP! No!" Jo yelled, but it was too late.

As Mark opened the door, Bailey, Kepner, Shepherd, Hunt, Torres and some nurses all turned to see him at the door.

"Mark. You need to get out. Shepherd is performing a crucial operation and you are being distracting. So, as your chief resident, I am ordering you to leave." Hunt said, both calmly and threateningly.

Mark started to walk towards the patient. "Why the hell is everyone hiding this stupid case from me? It's not like I'm going to-"

Derek had tried to hide the head from Mark but needed to continue with his surgery. Mark took one look at the patient; who was being cut open all over her body and whose skin was covered in purple, red, black and blue.

He took a deep breath and blinked. She was still there. He blinked again. Still there. He pinched his arm. _Still there._

 _Lexie Grey was alive, but this time he wasn't dreaming._

"Mark. She doesn't remember anything – it's extreme retrograde amnesia. I'm… I'm sorry. I'm trying my best." Derek told him.

Mark couldn't take his eyes off of Little Grey.

His first instinct was to collapse and cry. _How could he let this happen to Lexie?_ What if she never remembers her past? What if she has permanent injuries? She was so hurt. He couldn't stand to see her like this. Obviously these injuries were not self inflicted, or due to a fall from a plane. These were persistent injuries caused by blunt objects. He was going to kill the bastard that did this to her.

He had to do something. _Anything._ He owed this to Lexie Grey.

He could not let the woman he loved; Lexie Grey, go down without a fight.

Everyone except Derek was still expectantly looking at Mark, waiting for some kind of breakdown. What he said next startled everyone in the room.

"What can I do to help?" He asked, although it was more of a statement than a question.

Callie gave him a proud look. "A lot." She breathed, admiring his reaction – it was obvious to everyone in the room that Mark Sloan and Lexie Grey would do anything for each other. They'd be strong for each other in the darkest of times. He loved her so much.

The only problem with that was that Lexie had probably forgotten how to love him back.


	7. Chapter 7

**_Hi everyone! Thanks again for all the reviews, follows and favourites - it's really helpful to know what you guys would like to happen in the story! Unfortunately my uploading will become a bit more spread out because I have a lot of schoolwork at the moment, but I promise I will continue this story to the end. Here we go..._**

 _Derek's perspective_

Kepner, Hunt, Bailey, Torres, Mark and Derek had just successfully completed Lexie Grey's surgery. Apart from a few abnormal abdominal bleeds, everything had went smoothly. Kepner had returned after she contacted the police; who would be here any minute now.

Derek fixed the aneurysm and resolved the temporal fracture. However, the damage done to the area of the temporal lobe concerning long-term memory was not looking good. They'd have to wait until Lexie woke up to see the results of that.

Mark had really stepped up. Using his knowledge in plastics and a few skin grafts, he was able to recover skin damaged by burns (most likely from the initial crash), cuts, bruises and more. In a few months time, she would be looking completely normal, thanks to him.

But they all knew that that didn't really matter. What mattered was having Lexie back - the girl they all adored. And whilst she might be present in the room looking normal in a while, that didn't mean that she was Lexie Grey. She couldn't be Lexie the Lexie they knew if she didn't have her memory. He knew it was harsh, but it was merely the truth.

As they all scrubbed out after the 14-hour surgery, everything was silent. It was 1am in the morning. Usually, the surgeons would be high fiving and cheering while congratulating one another on the success of an extremely difficult surgery.

Not this time. Everyone in the room remained silent, with solemn looks on their faces as they scrubbed out. You could hear a pin drop as the nurses took Lexie out to transport her to a room.

"We need a plan." Dr. Hunt finally spoke up.

"Well, here's what I have to suggest: it is almost impossible that Lexie will remember anything before the crash. If we bombard her with the truth - that she used to work here, that her only family is her half sister because her father died of liver failure due to drinking after her disappearance... It would be far too much sudden information and she would not be able to make emotional connections with her past. It also makes it less likely for her to strengthen her memory on her own. If she was able to gain parts of her memory back, she'd need to do it without any interference. Therefore, I do not want anyone here to discuss Lexie's past. We will pretend that we do not know her. We will listen to what she has to say and do our job as surgeons. And we will wait."

Everyone in the OR nodded.

Secretly, Derek was extraordinarily sad. This was Little Grey, his favourite neuro student ever. She was his wife's beloved half sister as well as his sister in law. And here he was, deciding that they would all have to lie to her. Derek knew it was for the best... But he wasn't sure of how Meredith would deal with the news.

As they all left the room, an expectant Alex Karev, Jo Wilson and Meredith Grey waited for news.

"She made it. Her skin will heal, so will all the fractures and the abdominal trauma. " A sigh of relief coursed through the trio, although Derek could tell that there were still mixed emotions.

"So, what happens to her memory?" Jo chimed in. She still needed to wrap her head around the situation.

"I fixed everything I could, but some of the damage is obviously permanent. She may never get her memory back." Derek went to hug Meredith as more tears streamed down her face. He whispered into her ear, "She's here, Mer. She's safe. That's what matters." Meredith gave a small, grateful nod and her eyes lost a bit of the sad twinkle she possessed.

"Now, this is extremely important. I need the three of you to listen up." Hunt said. All the operators and the three spectators turned to face him. "This case isn't just any ordinary case. If we want Lexie to get better, we can't treat her like family. From now on she is a patient and a patient only. We will not prompt her memory. We will not push our way into her life. We will let her decide what to do, who to become friends with, and most importantly, we will let her get her memory back _on her own_. Is that understood?"

"So, what you're saying is my sister; who has been missing for 7 months, has returned and I can't even _speak_ to her? I can't see her? I can't hug her and tell her how sorry I am for being a horrible sister?" Meredith angrily retorted.

"It's what's best for Lexie, Meredith. We're sorry." Bailey said. Derek knew that deep down, 'The Nazi' truly cared about her interns. "For now, she has been moved to a patient room. The second she wakes up, she will have to speak to the police – it is our obligation. After that, we will know what's been going on and can continue from there. I only want you people on her case. No other doctors, except for Avery who will assist with Plastics. Now, you three - does anyone else know about this case, or could be suspicious?"

"Robbins knows I got paged here, and I have no doubt she'll find out anyway. We can trust her, though." Alex replied. Everyone murmured in agreement.

"Well, I paged Edwards and Ross to ask them to help me keep Dr. Sloan away from the OR, but obviously that didn't work. I didn't tell them why, though. Don't worry, I'll keep my mouth shut and just make up a story." Jo spoke, quietly.

"Jo, we're really sorry that you've been thrown into this situation. But you have to understand that what has happened in the last 24 hours cannot be repeated aloud ever again." Derek reminded. He was very protective of Meredith and didn't want all the interns to know about her history with Lexie.

"You can trust me." Jo firmly stated, before she left the otherwise empty hall. Then, they saw the police arrive.

"Ma'am, do you know where I can find Dr. April Kepner?" One of them asked.

"That's me. Yes, we're the doctors that worked on her case. And I've just been paged that she is awake – surprisingly early. Right this way, please." April calmly directed.

Derek noticed that Mark had been eerily quiet this whole time.

"Alright everyone, let's spread out. Act like nothing has happened at all. If you enter Lexie Grey's room, you are a doctor who thinks that she is a Jane Doe. The police are the only people other than each other who we can trust. April would has been instructed to inform them that we are not to prompt her memory or tell her who she is. Get a good rest and see you in a few hours." The chief finished.

As they all scattered, Derek followed Mark and tried to get his attention. "Mark!" Derek called after him. As Mark stopped, Derek slowed down.

"I am going to do everything I can to help her. I promise. No man-whore business will occur. I am going to fix Lexie Grey if my life depends on it."

"But are _you_ ok?"

"I'm… I'm relieved that she's safe. But I'm my anger for the bastard who did this to her is indescribable." Mark finished as his face started to go red and his muscles tensed. "How could someone be sick enough to do this? I just…. I don't understand. All I know is that when we catch him, he'll be locked up for life!" Mark vented as he turned and punched the wall. He then walked away before Derek could say anything. Derek quickly stuck a nearby poster over the dent in the wall, covering for his best friend. Derek had, to be honest, completely agreed with him - but was worried that Mark was getting a bit too personally attached.

* * *

Derek got home and pulled Meredith into a hug when he heard Meredith sobbing in their bedroom. He held her until her breathing had finally evened and she had drifted off to sleep. Eventually, they fell asleep in each other's arms – at this point in time, they needed each other more than they ever had before.

 **So I thought I might let you know of a few things that will be coming up soon - Lexie will wake up, a shocking character arrives at the hospital, Lexie develops an unlikely friendship, and maybe some memories will be coming back...**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you guys for your reviews - especially the guest who gave me some great suggestions! I'm worried some of you might not the upcoming friendship - but trust me, Lexie will get her chance with everyone, this person just happens to be first. Also, a lot of you have talked about Lexie and Mark - don't worry guys, be patient, it will come in time...**

 **Now, back to business!**

 _Meredith's perspective_

Meredith woke up at 2:00am to see Zola hurriedly bursting through their bedroom door.

"Mommy… nightmare…" Zola managed through sniffles and tears. She was just so adorable. Not to mention, very smart. Meredith instinctively pulled her into a tight hug. She remembered how she always wished that her mother would comfort her at times like these when she was little.

"Of course! What was it about, honey? Everything's ok, you're safe now ZoZo." Meredith said as she cuddled Zola and placed her daughter in between Derek and herself.

'No mommy, I was fine. Y-you were screaming a-a-and I was t-trying to h-help you, but the man didn't let me! I-I love you mommy." Zola said. Meredith's heart broke because this showed how much Zola truly cared about Meredith.

"It's okay honey, that will never _ever_ happen. I'm here and I'm safe now. Now try and close your eyes and get some more sleep." Meredith affirmed as she kissed Zola on the head – she was already falling asleep. Once Meredith concluded that Zola's breathing had evened out, she began to drift back to sleep when the realisation that Lexie was at the hospital hit her like a train at full speed.

Meredith instantly got up, left a note for Derek, got dressed and left for the hospital.

* * *

Meredith soon found Bailey outside Lexie's room.

"Uh… Meredith!" Bailey said very half-heartedly.

"What? What has happened? Oh my God, did she die? Did she-"

"No! No, nothing bad has happened. I just… well, to be honest I didn't want you working on this case. But now, since you're the only one here and the police just left, I guess I could use your help. Go check her vitals with me and do everything by the book."

Meredith felt a twinge of both panic and excitement. She was going to speak to Lexie.

"And remember. You are not sisters in here. She is a patient who can't remember anything and you are her doctor." Bailey firmly stated, with that intimidating look on her face that made interns want to run and hide in a corner.

"I understand, Dr. Bailey." Meredith said. She took a breath as she opened the doors into the room. It was hard to suppress the gasp that Meredith almost felt escape from her mouth. Lexie was so hurt…

"Hello, ma'am. My name is Dr. Bailey and this is Dr. Grey. We're just gonna give you a checkup, okay?"

Lexie nodded and gave a small smile. Her face was shining with remnants of tears.

Meredith took a breath as she spoke to Lexie for the first time in 7 months. "I'm just going to check your vitals now. Could you please open your mouth for me?" Lexie did as was told. Meredith felt a rush of happiness as she looked into Lexie's eyes. She had longed for that gaze for such a long time now, and all her sad thoughts about what had happened vanished. As long as Lexie was here, she'd be okay. Lexie was staring straight at her, with a confused look on her face… like she was waiting for something. "Now, I'm going to shine this light in your eyes. Just keep your eyes open for me, okay?" Lexie, once again, silently obeyed. This time, she was really looking at Meredith strangely. Bailey spoke up.

"Okay – so everything seems to be looking great! Today, we are going to let you rest for a while and see what happens with your memory. Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Torres, Dr. Sloan, Dr. Kepner and Dr. Hunt will be here any minute now to discuss your surgery with you. We also have an intern, Dr. Wilson, who will observe. Now, I know everything must have happened so fast, but don't worry – you'll have plenty of time to understand. Oh, look – here they come." Bailey finished as the 6 other doctors walked into the room.

"Now, these are the doctors who performed the surgery on you, ma'am. Dr. Torres is an orthopaedic surgeon and she'll start by talking to you about her role." Meredith kindly explained to the slightly overwhelmed Lexie. She looked like a little girl, which made Meredith want to wrap her up in a hug, but she fought the temptation. Lexie's gaze was still focused on Meredith.

Callie gave Lexie a bright smile and began speaking. "Okay, so while we gave you the scan when you arrived yesterday, we noticed a few issues concerning fractures and breaks that had to be fixed during surgery. You had several compound fractures along your left arm and a comminuted fracture in the left leg; rib fractures; pelvic fractures and several other minor fractures here." Callie informed as she held up a few X-Rays. "Luckily, these were all treated during surgery and with a few months of physical therapy, you should be up and running in no time." Callie finished and looked at Dr. Hunt, waiting for him to say something, so he did.

"Okay, so Dr. Kepner and I are the trauma surgeons who operated on much of your abdominal internal bleeding and luckily everything went fine. We also worked with Dr. Bailey, a general surgeon, to do this. However, the injuries were quite serious. Physical therapy will help with your healing, and luckily none of the attacks resulted in injuring any vital organs supremely. Obviously, a few of the injuries were sustained by the pl-"

Shit. Owen had almost just said plane crash. Lexie told the police that all she remembered was waking up in a dark room.

Thankfully, April quickly saved the day before Lexie could have any second thoughts. "by something else – it looks like a fall from a great height. Dr. Sloan?"

Mark had his gaze fixed on Lexie and he looked like he was about to cry.

"Dr. Sloan." Bailey reminded as Mark averted his gaze from Lexie. Luckily, Lexie was too busy glancing between Meredith and the ground to notice anything.

"Oh – sorry. Ma'am, I am a plastic surgeon and I helped to recover your skin from the cuts, burns and swelling that was going on. Everything went according to plan – your cuts will heal, as will the burns and bruises, but with time. You have to ensure that you are cautious about that." Mark quickly stuttered, a contrast to his usual, overly-confident self.

Finally, Derek spoke up. "And that leaves me, the neurosurgeon. My name's Dr. Derek Shepherd. Now, to discuss your brain injuries. You had a major temporal lobe fracture – and considering you don't remember anything before the basement, it must have been sustained in another injury – likely to either be a fall or hitting your head against metal. Does that spark any memories?" Derek asked.

Lexie just shook her head. The poor thing looked like she was trying really hard to rack her brain for information, but failing.

"That's okay." Derek flashed a McDreamy smile. "Now, as a result of this you have what is called extreme retrograde amnesia. Dr. Wilson, could you please explain to the patient what this means?" Derek asked, trying to teach Wilson, who was on his service today.

"Sure Dr. Shepherd. Extreme Retrograde Amnesia is-"

"A loss of memory-access to events that occurred, or information that was learned, before an injury or the onset of a disease. It tends to negatively affect episodic, autobiographical, and declarative memory while usually keeping procedural memory intact with no difficulty for learning new knowledge. The type of information that is forgotten can be very specific, like a single event, or more general, resembling generic amnesia. It commonly results from damage to the brain regions most closely associated with episodic and declarative memory, including autobiographical information. In extreme cases; which is where I come in, individuals may completely forget who they are."

Everyone stared at Lexie, gobsmacked. She remembered something. Meredith was absolutely stunned and a twinkle of hope lit up inside of her.

"Why on Earth would I know that?" Lexie whispered to herself, trying to connect the pieces of the puzzle. It was obvious to everyone in the room that somehow, Lexie still had her photographic memory… but that only applied to medical-related topics. Lexie started looking at Meredith weirdly again.

"Great work!" Jo finally said, bringing everyone back to the reality of the situation.

"Is there anything else you can remember, ma'am? Maybe your name?" Meredith asked hopefully. The doctors expectantly waited.

Lexie shook her head again, as if she was too afraid to speak. Meredith's hope suddenly plummeted. _You idiot, Meredith. Haven't you learned that everything goes wrong for you?_ Meredith angrily thought to herself.

"No – we're sorry for what you've been through ma'am. We are going to do everything in our power to help you through this." The chief said as the doctors, except for Wilson who was instructed by Derek to fill out a chart, left the room.

 _Jo's perspective_

Jo felt horrible for what was not only happening to the patient; Lexie, but also to all the other doctors who had to experience her struggle alongside her. However, if there was one benefit from this case, it was that she was learning a lot. Being the only intern surrounded by a room full of attendings was quite beneficial for one's education.

"Dr. Wilson?" Lexie spoke quietly. Jo was shocked – the girl hadn't spoken this whole time, apart from her little medical burst. Jo turned around and tried to act casual – not too overly excited. If she did, that might seem a bit intrusive and could put Lexie off from whatever she was going to tell Jo.

"Uh huh?" Jo turned around to look at Lexie.

"You're the intern, right?"

Jo chuckled a little. 'Yeah, that's me. But, judging by your medical knowledge, you could easily take my place!" Jo joked and got Lexie to smile. _Yes. I made her smile._

"C-Can I tell you something?"

Jo nodded. _Act normal. Act like a surgeon, not some freak who scares away her patient._

"I think I was a doctor. That's the only reason I can remember this stuff, right?"

"It would make a lot of sense… do you want me to check the doctoral records on surgeons in the state for you? I might be able to find something that says that a doctor went missing around… how long did you say you were gone for?" Jo asked, trying to be helpful. She felt extremely bad because she secretly knew that she wouldn't be checking any doctoral records at all and was probably getting her hopes up for nothing. A huge grin swept across Lexie's face.

"Wow… thank you! I think around 7 months, if my counts on the wall were correct. Also, there's 2 other things…."

Jo encouraged her to continue.

"I don't want you to tell anyone this… can you keep a secret?" Jo started to get nervous and her palms were sweating. _Uh oh. What am I getting myself into…_

"I think… I think I know Dr. Grey. I recognise her voice…" Jo was slightly taken aback.

"How?" Jo wondered, trying to see if she could help Lexie's memory.

"When I was escaping… I heard a voice. It sounded exactly like hers. She was telling me to run. That voice… that voice was my saving grace." Lexie nervously stammered, expecting an answer from Jo.

 _That'd explain why she was looking at Medusa weirdly during the scan and in here before…_

"Well… I'm only an intern and I've only been here for a little while now, but it's possible… I don't know. I promise, though – your secret's safe with me" Jo reassured Lexie with a smile and a wink.

"There's one more thing. And I wanted to tell you because you look like you're the only one who wouldn't go all doctor-y on me when I say this. My name…. I think my name is Alexandra. But it doesn't sound right… maybe people called me a nickname… Ali? Alex? Umm…"

Jo was stunned. This… this was great progress. And she felt honoured that Lexie was confiding in Jo.

Lexie gasped and Jo looked up at her intently.

"Lexie…. That's it. Oh my God – I did it. My name is Lexie!" Lexie said, her face lighting up like a Christmas tree.

 _Wow. That was NOT how I was expecting that to happen._ Jo thought to herself.


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you guys so much for all of your reviews! I am glad you like the Jo/Lexie dynamic, so I have decided to keep it going! There's a little bit more Slexie in this chapter, but I am easing into it... Let me know what you think of this one! - Greybc**

 _Jo's perspective_

"Congratulations! That's awesome progress, Lexie. To be honest… it's kind of a miracle. And that means that you are more likely to be able to remember more down the track!" Jo enthusiastically exclaimed. Jo was so happy for Lexie. She knows how awful it feels to think that the only thing you have ever known is abuse.

"So, do you think you could ask Dr. Grey if she really does know me? And check the hospital records?" Lexie then hesitated.

"I-I'm sorry Dr. Wilson, I know I'm asking for a lot…" Lexie looked down with guilt in her innocent, child-like brown eyes. Jo could tell why Alex said that everyone loved her. Apparently, they called her "Little Grey."

"No, that's fine, Lexie. And, call me Jo."

Lexie looked up with a twinkle in her eye and a small smile. It must feel nice to not be so alone.

"Now, you really need your rest. There will probably be a few doctors in and out for a few days. We'll keep you here for a few weeks until we have to start physical therapy, but until then… make yourself comfortable, I guess." Jo said friendlily.

The minute Jo left the room and headed down to the end of the hallway, she found a swarm of doctors staring at her with piercing glares. Dr. Bailey. Dr. Hunt. Dr. Shepherd. Dr. Sloan. Dr. Torres. Alex. Dr. Grey Dr. Kepner. Dr. Webber, Dr. Avery and Dr. Robbins had even joined too.

They looked like they wanted to tear her up into shreds to get what they wanted. Which, Jo guessed, was information.

"Dr. Wilson." Dr. Bailey said intimidatingly, as each doctor took another step towards Jo. Jo gulped.

Uh Oh.

 _Callie's perspective – a few minutes earlier_

Callie was surprised that Jo was in there for so long. Once they had all left the room, Hunt had started to give them a briefing on what they would do next, now that Lexie was awake.

And that's when Alex realised that Jo was gone.

After a few quick glances, everyone concluded that she must still be in there.

"Why is everyone standing here? Lexie probably wants to rest, and she can't do that with Wilson in there. I'll go get her." Mark said, with envy coursing through his veins. Callie could tell – Mark was, after all, her best friend. It hurt Callie to see Mark in pain. She hadn't been that close with Lexie, but she was a sweet girl, and wanted to get justice.

Callie quickly pulled Mark back. "Mark… let's just wait. Maybe _Lexie_ wanted to talk to her." Callie said, and Mark reluctantly obeyed. Callie looked around at everyone – it was cute to see them all so protective. If one good thing had come out of this, it was that it made them all closer. Her eyes landed on Meredith. Meredith had that cold, emotionless look in her eyes that happened every time something took a turn for the worse. She was a totally different person to the wailing, mourning woman that had been in the hospital just 24 hours ago. "She'll be here any minute now, and then we can get some answers. But for now, we'll wait." Callie confirmed and everyone silently agreed. To be honest, Callie liked Dr. Wilson. She showed a lot of promise in Ortho.

Suddenly, the door swung open and Callie noticed that the intern's smile as she walked down the hallway suddenly turned into a look of dread as she took in her surroundings.

 _Mark's perspective_

There was a fire burning deep inside of Mark.

Every moment he saw Lexie, every moment he reminded himself that she was here; alive, it was like more kindling was thrown in.

The fire was getting bigger and bigger. Soon, it would be enough to warm his heart. To make him feel happy again.

But he needed more kindling. And he couldn't even _speak_ to her. She was back – but she couldn't remember. And that was like water dampening the fire that was trying with all it's might to stay alight.

So, why the _hell_ was Jo Wilson; an _intern_ ; allowed to speak to Lexie when he couldn't? All he wanted was to hear her voice, to see her smile, to be with her through her journey of recovery. To feel her in his arms again.

But she didn't even want to _speak_ to him. She chose the freaking intern instead.

"Dr. Wilson. Would you care to tell us exactly why you were in that room for so long?" Mark said, looking at Dr. Wilson with an icy stare. Everything was cold when Lexie was gone.

He needed the fire. That would make things ok again.

 _Meredith's perspective_

 _Well, that was a little harsh of Mark…_ Thought Meredith as Mark had interrogated Jo. Nonetheless, Meredith knew deep down that she was just as jealous as mark was that Lexie confided in the intern. And Meredith wanted answers.

Jo stood there, a bewildered look on her face.

"Well?" Meredith chimed in, waiting for a response. Everyone else turned their heads from Mark to Jo.

"S-She asked m-me to st-stay." Jo nervously defended. "I don't know why she asked me, but she did. She told me she thought she was a doctor. She said that was the only reason she could have remembered that stuff about extreme-retrograde amnesia. I said I'd check the records for her… I didn't know what else to say." Jo said.

"That's okay – we'll just tell her that we couldn't find her in the records without a name." The chief piped in. "Is that all?" He looked at Jo suspiciously. Lexie didn't need 10 whole minutes to tell Jo that.

"Uh, well, that's the thing. She remembered her name. She knew it was Alexandra, but then realised that people called her Lexie." Jo smiled.

"That's… that's fantastic." Derek breathed, as everyone gasped and murmured with happiness. Meredith looked at Derek for a second - he was evidently shocked by this news. Meredith was jumping for joy on the inside. But Meredith knew that when one thing went well, another thing went wrong. So she stayed emotionally neutral.

Bailey cleared her throat. "Okay everyone. She remembered her name, so that's progress. But, obviously, some memories will come to her easier than others, if there are actually any more that she will remember. So, let's stick to the original plan. Let her try and remember everything on her own. It's obviously working so far. And let's not badger her." Bailey gave a knowing glance at Mark. Just as everyone began to part, Jo spoke up.

"Wait! There's one more thing…"

Everyone turned around expectantly.

"Lexie told me that when she was escaping, she heard a voice. She said that the voice told her to run, and that the voice inside her head saved her. Only, it wasn't her own."

Everyone was really, _really_ intrigued now. What was Jo saying?

"Lexie said that she didn't recognise the voice until… Until she heard Dr. Grey speak. She thinks that she knows Dr. Grey."

All eyes landed on a very, very shocked Meredith. Tears were welling up in her eyes and she couldn't do anything to supress her smile. Lexie _actually_ remembered her.

Meredith walked up to Jo and gave her a hug. Jo looked completely discombobulated.

"Thank you. I really mean it." Was all Meredith could say. She was just so happy, she couldn't _not_ hug Jo.

What Meredith didn't see was how sad and hurt Mark Sloan looked as he pretended to be happy along with the rest of them.

 _Lexie's perspective_

Lexie watched out of the window as her newfound friend, Jo, left the room. Lexie looked around the room, finding something to do. ' _Geez, this place is boring'_ She thought. Lexie decided that to keep her mind off of… the basement… she'd watch as different kinds of people looked through the window.

It was a really interesting game. From what she could tell, there was a huge fight between this female doctor and a male nurse. It was hysterical – like her own little drama television show. From what she could hear, they were fighting because one of them had found the other in a strip club. It was _so_ scandalous. There was also a patient who had huge ears – not just huge, but ears of gigantic proportions. Like BFG huge. He was this old man and was being wheeled down the hallway with a scrunched up expression on her face that she couldn't help but laugh at, even if it was kind of mean. Lexie couldn't remember the last time she laughed, which made her smile even wider. Now there was this woman who had a knife sticking out of her shoulder followed by what looked like her husband, insisting that she was fine while the frantic husband called out for a doctor. And now there was this guy who was being wheeled in on a gurney – geez, he looked like he'd had a serious knock to the head. And a lot of booze, too – he was mumbling something about a girl who-

Wait.

Wait a second.

Lexie began to feel her muscles clench up, which hurt a lot but she couldn't help it. Her breathing became erratic and wheezy.

That wasn't just any drunk guy who got a knock to the head.

That was _him._

 _ **Flashback**_

Her eyes fluttered open and everything was a grey blur. She hurt all over. She tried to focus on her surroundings. She tried to have a sense of where she was. She tried to call out for help.

"No one's going to help you now, sweetie." A deep, grunting male voice shocked her system like a defibrillator and everything became clear.

"W-who are y-y-you?" She stammered, shaking with panic.

The man took a step towards her and stroked her hair. It was at that moment that she realised that she was tied to the pipe under the sink in a dark room and couldn't get away.

He had a look of hunger in his eyes as he raised his fist and swung it towards her face. Everything went black.

 _ **Present time**_

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!" Lexie screamed with all her might. She felt like she was re-living every moment of pain she had endured in that basement all over again. She convinced herself that he was standing at the door now, about to pounce on his prey. She curled up into a ball, preparing herself for the punches and kicks that were yet to come.


	10. Chapter 10

_Mark's perspective_

She hadn't chosen him.

She had chose Meredith.

If Mark wasn't so damn jealous right now, he probably would have realised that Lexie and Meredith are sisters and that he should be happy for Meredith that Lexie remembers her.

But it's just so freaking unfair. Meredith had been so cruel to Lexie and Mark was always the only one who was ever there for her. Well, except for a few mistakes… but still. He was there for Lexie when she needed him most. When she first got here, the shooting…

But obviously that didn't matter anymore. He only knew that he was going to have to fight to get Lexie back.

At this point, they were at the end of the hallway, all muttering about what they were going to do about Lexie. Poor Jo looked terrified. Mark just laughed to himself. _Interns_.

Suddenly, the doctors heard a shrilling scream coming from…

 _Oh my God._ Mark suddenly felt a rising feeling from the pit of his stomach – like he was about to explode.

It was coming from Lexie's room. Mark knew that voice. It was most definitely Little Grey's. _No_. Lexie could _not_ die on him again. She could _not_ take Mark on this emotional rollercoaster that always ended in heartbreak. She couldn't do that to him all over again.

He sprinted down the hall before anyone else knew what was going on.

 _Arizona's perspective_

"What's going on?" Arizona questioned with apprehension in her voice. "Why is Mark sprinting towards… Is that coming from Lexie's room?"

Everyone's eyes widened as they rushed down the hallway behind Mark, pushing past many nurses and civilians.

Mark was the first to burst into Lexie's door and found her curled up into a ball on her hospital bed. Her eyes were tightly shut and she was shaking. Lexie looked just like the scared kids she saw in peds everyday – helpless, unknowing, afraid. It made her heart break. Arizona thought that losing her leg was bad… but what Lexie was going through was much, _much_ worse.

"NO! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS TO ME!" Lexie cried.

"Lexie! Lexie, it's ok! You're in the hospital now, no one is going to hurt you." Meredith said as she stroked Lexie's hair.

"PLEASE! DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Meredith instantly pulled away, taken aback, as Lexie continued to whimper. The surgeons watched helplessly as Lexie began to calm down, and finally, her eyes fluttered open. She was still mumbling and breathing heavily. Everyone just stared at Lexie and Arizona's paediatric instincts kicked in. Arizona knew how to handle children like this. She walked over to Lexie and struggled to kneel down so that she was at eye level with Lexie. Lexie's wide brown eyes stared into her blue ones.

"Lexie, honey. You are in the hospital. You are safe here. I'm Dr. Robbins, and these are all doctors too."

Lexie nodded, looking embarrassed. She drifted her gaze and suddenly her eyes turned wide. She started screaming again.

The surgeons turned around to see what she was looking at, but there were just a few people outside. A nurse and a doctor fighting, a few people waiting for something, Edwards hurriedly running down the hall chasing after someone random, and these two nurses attending to some guy with a head injury.

Hang on. That guy with the head injury was kind of staring right into the room.

 _Meredith's perspective_

It killed Meredith to see Lexie like this. She was starting to lose hope again. Her sister was being torn away from her… but she couldn't let that happen.

There was some creepy dude with a head injury staring at Lexie from outside.

"Derek, Mark – can you get that guy to stop staring at the patient?" April asked as she went to check Lexie's vitals. Meredith was beginning to like April more and more. Even though she had taken Lexie's job, April was the kind of friend that was loyal and fun and happy to help. Meredith didn't like too much bubbliness, but sometimes it was nice. And Meredith loved it when April was badass. Badass April was here right now, reminding everyone that they needed to keep our cool. Who knew April, of all people, could be a leader. Meredith noticed Jackson staring at her weirdly…

Meredith's attention snapped back to Lexie. Lexie was still closing her eyes tight when the random guy outside started yelling and charging towards them.

What the hell was going on?

 _Derek's perspective_

"Sir, we have a very distressed patient in that room, so if you could please avert your attention to something else it would be much appreciated." Mark said in his surgeon-y voice. He was clearly making Lexie upset. He was kind of unnerving. He had short dark hair and a disgusting beard and moustache. He was wearing a wife-beater tank top with a brown stain on the belly, with some khaki shorts and sneakers. He also smelled really, _really_ bad.

"Who is that?" The guy asked with a strange look in his eyes. Derek thought it looked like he was… smirking.

"I'm sorry but that's confidential. Now could you plea-"

The guy started walking towards the room.

"SIR! You cannot go in there!" Derek yelled, trying to pull him back. It was too late.

He charged towards Lexie's room.

 _Lexie's perspective_

He was coming.

He was coming again and she couldn't escape this time. She wanted to die. Dying would be better than reliving the pain she had went through.

She froze as he started getting closer. She held her breath and powerlessly stared, every single muscle in her body numb with fear. She prepared herself for the kicking and the punching and the burning.

"YOU LITTLE BITCH! HOW DARE YOU DISOBEY ME! HOW DARE YOU INJURE ME! YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS! I SWEAR TO GOD, I'LL MURDER YOU! I'LL-" Lexie hadn't realised how long she was holding her breath until everything went black and she passed out again.

Mark's perspective

It was chaos.

Obviously this was the guy who took Lexie. That much was obvious now. With all the yelling and screaming and the look on Lexie's face.

Everything was moving in slow motion. Lexie's vitals started dropping and Meredith, Bailey, April, Owen and Arizona all started working on her while Derek, Jackson, Callie, Jo and Alex turned to protect her from this maniac.

But Mark just stood there, bewildered.

The Lexie they all loved was here and in pain. This evil human being tortured Lexie – the girl that told him she loved him, who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. This person didn't deserve to be alive.

Before Mark could think, his fist balled up and made contact with the guy's face. Mark didn't care that everyone was screaming at him to stop, that nurses were screaming and that he would get fired for this. Bones crunched as Mark punched him again. He was getting a taste of his own medicine. He deserved to die for what he did to Lexie.

Suddenly the guy took a swig back at Mark and he staggered back. One last kick from this stranger was enough to cause Mark to pass out.

* * *

 **1 day later**

Mark awoke to the familiar white walls of a hospital room as he heard Derek and Owen muttering in the corner.

"What the hell, Mark…" Derek whispered as he realised that Mark was awake. Mark suddenly remembered the severity of the situation and he gritted his teeth, then reminded himself to calm down.

"Is Lexie okay? I'm so sorry, I-"

"She's fine. Still a little shocked, but fine." Owen piped in. "Also, the guy has been sentenced for life. His name is Arnold Norman." Mark scoffed. A creepy name for an even creepier person. "The police are investigating it right now. The back of the plane was found in some ravine – near his house. They had photos of the basement…" Owen stopped and shuddered.

"And as for you, Mark," Derek looked at him sternly. "You had several metacarpal fractures and a minor pancreatic bleed. Other than that, you'll be fine. We told the police that he was about to attack Lexie but you stepped in. You better thank your lucky stars, Sloan, because otherwise you'd be outta here." Derek lectured. Mark just rolled his eyes. His best friend was way too serious sometimes.

 _Lexie's perspective_

Lexie felt herself awakening and saw 6 surgeons in the room – Dr. Bailey, Dr. Karev, Dr. Avery, Dr. Torres and Dr. Grey.

Suddenly her mind started spinning and she heard this weird echoing. All these voices started whirring through her ears. All these faces. She didn't catch much of it, but from what she could recognise, there was a house. She was eating breakfast and there were some people there. She was eating eggs, and then she needed epinephrine. Then there was a surgery, and she was cutting into a baby. Then there was a baseball game. There was an apartment with hospital looking furniture in it. Then she was kissing some guy. There was a bar and she was laughing with some other people. There was a plane… and then lots and lots of pain.

Memories. That was what memories looked like. She was sure of it.

She looked up and made the connections. These people were in her memories. She _knew_ these people. That was Bailey, Alex, Jackson, Callie and….

And Meredith.

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me that I know you?"

All she got in response was 6 pairs of wide eyes staring back at her in shock.

 **Hope that you guys like it! There will be 3 more chapters of this story, because the work is getting to be a bit much. I am so glad you guys are reviewing - it makes my day! I would love to hear what pairings you'd like to see in the next 3 chapters too!**


	11. Chapter 11

_Lexie's perspective_

The first emotion she felt was a wave of relief. Here she was, worried that she'd never regain her memory ever again. But now she could remember. She remembered being a doctor and she remembered the names and faces of practically everyone she had seen in this hospital. She remembered her address, her father's name, and that she hated apples.

The second emotion she felt was curiosity. She definitely knew these people. So why are they acting like they don't know her?

The third emotion was anger. Why the _hell_ did they not tell her who she was? Why did they lie to her? Why did they let her go through all of that confusion, sadness, frustration and grief? It had been 4 days since she had been admitted to the hospital. They would have had enough time.

Lexie was a surgeon, and she had the capacity to be able to diagnose herself: Extreme retrograde amnesia. Lexie knew that a victim's memory could be jogged… but cured within the tiny amount of time that she had been at the hospital? That was kind of a miracle.

Lexie knew how lucky she was to be here. She knew how lucky she was to be (relatively) healthy and _remember things._

But somehow, none of that mattered because the people she had once loved and trusted had lied to her. No matter how much luck she possessed, she was still worthless to them.

And here they were, still staring back at her, lost for words.

"Did I just mean nothing to you? Was I so meaningless that you didn't even bother to tell me that I was your _friend_?"

Still, nothing.

"Look, I get it. You all had your important people. Jackson, you had April. Alex, you had Meredith and Cristina. Dr. Bailey, you had Ben. Callie, you had Arizona. Meredith, you had Cristina. And for a while, I was all alone. But obviously, I was an idiot for thinking that I actually had people that would support me through anything despite that. But now I actually am all alone. It's just like he said! I'm good-for-nothing, useless, insignificant and _pathetic._ I have no one. NO ONE! I may as well go back to that damn basement because I was better off there being beaten to death every freaking night than here where I have no hope left inside of me! Why did this have to happen to me? Why have I been LYING to myself for the past… what? 5 years? Why-"

"Lexie! Stop!" Meredith almost screamed. Her voice had cracked and tears were streaming down her face.

"Just get out. ALL OF YOU. And someone get Mark Sloan down here _immediately_." She demanded in a whisper, her voice hoarse and faint.

She needed to know that someone here cared about her. _Anyone_.

 _Mark's perspective_

Mark was in the middle of an ENT appointment, banned from surgery for a week due to the 'incident', when his pager beeped. 911 from Bailey… it was Lexie.

"I-I'm sorry, sir, I have to go, but Dr. Brooks will finish the check-up." Mark stuttered in a rush, handing the job over to his intern for the day.

He met Meredith, Callie, Bailey, Jackson and Alex at the door.

"She remembers Mark. She remembers _everything_. How is that even possible?" Callie muttered under her breath as he arrived, panting.

"Oh my God! Well why the hell aren't we all in there hugging her right now?" Mark asked in both happiness and shock.

"Because she hates us. She says that we lied to us and now she think that we think she's worthless and-"

"Meredith. Calm down. You're rambling. Mark will talk to her. Right, Sloan?" Alex asked.

Mark nodded, feeling numb. He was very, very nervous. He didn't think he would be able to handle hurting Lexie all over again.

He opened the door and met Lexie's brown eyes. They were red from crying. He moved over and sat down at the side of the bed. She looked up at him expectantly, as if waiting for an explanation. So he gave her one.

"Lexie. That plane crash… words can't even describe how much it ruined me. How much it ruined _all_ of us." Mark started. Lexie's eyes softened slightly as she waited for him to continue.

"So, as you can probably imagine, you coming here was… a shock. When we thought we lost you, not one person in this whole hospital moved on. Not one. But we are doctors. And we had to do what we needed to do because we care about you, Lex. We wanted to do what was best for you, and that was letting you uncover memories on your own. We all understand that you're upset. You have every right to be. What you went through was… unimaginable. But you _need_ to understand that you are the opposite of worthless. You are my everything. And it's not just me. You should have seen Meredith for the first few months after your disappearance. She was _broken_. She buried herself in surgery after surgery and eventually stopped talking to anyone but Zola and Derek for 2 months. Not to mention, there wasn't a single day that Alex didn't regret not being on that plane. Cristina suffered from PTSD so bad that she had to leave the hospital. Derek lost that McDreamy twinkle because he thinks of you like his little neuro sister. Arizona and Callie asked for updates from the police every single day. April cried… a lot. Bailey and Webber went soft on everyone because they were secretly just as upset as the rest of us. Jackson… well, Jackson was a bit of a rock for us all. He knew that what you would have wanted was for us to keep saving lives. So we did."

Lexie had begun to cry. But these tears were not tears of sadness, nor joy, but rather gratitude.

"I told you I loved you, Mark. I never really got an answer." Lexie blurted out, clearly anxious for his response. Mark smiled his huge grin and leaned in so that their noses were almost touching.

"Oh, Little Grey. Everyday after that crash, I replayed that conversation in my head over and over. And I can't believe I am getting a second chance. I love you with all of my heart, Lexie Grey. I never have and never will never stop loving you. I am so, so sorry… for everything. Please… can you please give me, and everyone else, a second chance?"

Before Mark could say anything else, Lexie pulled him into a kiss. They lay in the hospital bed, making up for 7 months of lost time, thankful that they each had somebody to hold onto no matter what.


End file.
